TfL to withdraw some age-related concessionary travel

General_Grant · 16 May 2020 at 9:59AM

Friday's Evening Standard said "Free travel for 1.5 million London schoolchildren will be temporarily axed this summer and over-60s will no longer be able to travel for free at peak times".
Whilst TfL/Sadiq Khan as Mayor could set rules for the Tube and I am not aware of a national scheme regarding schoolchildren, concessionary (free) bus travel for pension-age people is a national scheme. So could those of us over state retirement age be prevented from travelling free on buses for any time(s) between the hours of 9.30 am to 11 pm (depending on the definition of "peak")? There's nothing I can find on the TfL website to confirm the Standard's front page statement.

giraffe69 · 16 May 2020 at 10:07AM

Peak was defined as before 9.30 I thought.

General_Grant · 16 May 2020 at 10:21AM

giraffe69 said:

Peak was defined as before 9.30 I thought.

The national scheme has 9.30 am for the cut-off point which is why I wondered about them defining peak any time between then and the 11 pm which is the national cut-off point at night.
TfL has "The busiest times to travel are 08:30 - 09:00 and 17:30 - 18:30, Monday to Friday." It also says, "When talking about the AM Peak period, this is typically 07:00 to 10:00 and the PM Peak period is 16:00 to 19:00." There are also different fares for peak time travel which are morning and evening peaks (but finding a table of times and fares is no longer clear on the website).

bouicca21 · 16 May 2020 at 10:59AM

London over 60s pass is different to the Freedom Pass which is part of the national scheme for those of pensionable age. I don’t think any other part of the country has a scheme to cover over 60s until they reach pensionable age.

Where can we find the detail on the changes?

General_Grant · 16 May 2020 at 11:24AM

bouicca21 said:

(a) London over 60s pass is different to the Freedom Pass which is part of the national scheme for those of pensionable age. I don’t think any other part of the country has a scheme to cover over 60s until they reach pensionable age.

(b) Where can we find the detail on the changes?

(a) I know there are two schemes. It's why I referred to State Pension Age in my OP. I was referring specifically to London and TfL.

(b) Well, not on the TfL website for sure. All I could refer to was what I mentioned, the Evening Standard newspaper - front page on Friday, 15 May 2020. It may be in document describing the bailout 1.6bn.

tehone · 16 May 2020 at 1:23PM

There is this quote from the Mayor of London from https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/statement-from-the-mayor-of-london-regarding-tfl
[quote]They have insisted that free travel is temporarily suspended for Freedom Pass and 60-plus card holders at peak times. We agreed it was the right thing to review the Congestion Charge.[/quote]

General_Grant · 16 May 2020 at 1:36PM

tehone said:

There is this quote from the Mayor of London from https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/statement-from-the-mayor-of-london-regarding-tfl
[quote]They have insisted that free travel is temporarily suspended for Freedom Pass and 60-plus card holders at peak times. We agreed it was the right thing to review the Congestion Charge.[/quote]

Thanks for finding that. Blames the government. Doesn't say it is just the Tube so it may well apply to buses and make it less favourable than the national scheme applicable for the rest of the country.

I haven't travelled on public transport since mid-March and walk a three-mile round trip to shop. I see buses go past which are empty of human beings other than the driver. This is such a waste.

bouicca21 · 16 May 2020 at 2:05PM

That press statement is irritatingly opaque. It may simply mean that trams, tubes and buses won’t accept freedom and over 60s passes before 9.30. Or it may not. I suspect TfL won’t be able to clarify until Sadiq tells them what he has agreed.

TBH I’m avoiding public transport too. Fortunately I have a bike. The buses round my way were pretty empty until Boris’ statement last Sunday, but they look a lot fuller now.

martindow · 17 May 2020 at 10:20AM

It is a bit confused but there has always been an anomoly between London and elsewhere.

It is most marked where to go from Reading to London on the train costs over £10 return with a senior railcard and the freedom card allows free travel on Tfl trains on this route.

t0rt0ise · 20 May 2020 at 3:34PM

Interesting. I wonder if it will be for new holders only. I know they started an annual charge for the 60 plus card after I got it and I've not been asked to pay it.

unforeseen · 20 May 2020 at 3:44PM

Blames the government

In other words, the government wouldn't give him an open cheque book.

TfL to withdraw some age-related concessionary travel

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TfL to withdraw some age-related concessionary travel

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